Perhaps due to strides in concussion awareness, high school football saw an increase in participation nationwide last season for the first time in five years, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

An additional 6,607 boys participated in 11-man football during the 2013-14 season, making the total number of players in the country 1,093,234. Aiding that number was an additional 184 girls playing high school football, bringing the total number of girls to 1,715 nationwide.

Technology continues to improve the safety measures of football equipment and tangible progress in preventing concussions also includes a recently approved assembly bill in California limiting full contact high school football practices to three hours per week. AB 2129 will take effect on Jan. 1, 2015.

It’s hard to imagine the Los Osos volleyball team getting much better, but that’s exactly what happened this offseason. The team that finished one win shy of the first CIF championship in school history gained two transfers, one of which helped lead her team to a CIF title last season.

Alyssa Ybanez, the 2012 Mountain Valley League offensive MVP, transferred to Los Osos along with 6-foot-1 Aquinas middle blocker Delaney Goodrich. They will join a core of players at Los Osos including the reigning Daily Bulletin Player of the Year, Cal-bound senior Ashten Smith-Gooden and Ashley Kaylor, a first team All-Valley selection last season.

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There were two distinct sides to be taken in the debate over the Sunkist League baseball MVP. The pitching side: a 9-0 record, 0.95 ERA, six complete games, 114 strikeouts and just 12 walks in just 74 innings. And the offensive side: .455 batting average, three home runs, 41 RBIs and 29 runs scored in 28 games with a .518 on-base percentage.

Of course, both sides belonged to junior Chris Mathewson of league champion Kaiser. Needless to say, it wasn’t much of a debate.

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Vinny Fazio was hired as the new football coach at Murrieta Valley, multiple outlets are reporting, after revealing Thursday that he resigned following one spectacular season at Eisenhower.

Fazio began searching for other opportunities after he received a pink slip from Eisenhower in March. Though plenty who are pink-slipped end up with a job the following year, it was Fazio’s first such experience with one. A player at Fontana and first-year coach for a the 7-3 co-Citrus Belt League champion Eisenhower team last season, the last thing Fazio wanted to do was leave.

“That was never my plan. I was going to be there 10 to 15 years,” Fazio said. “I had people telling me at the district level and the school-site level ‘You probably need to look for other jobs.’ I love the kids. I feel really bad. On my end, I didn’t have a choice.”

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The jumble of teams behind Sierra League champion West Covina South Hills during the regular season didn’t make for any easy decisions after the year ended. The all-league team had an obvious MVP, but there were plenty of arguments to be made beyond that. As it turned out, second-place Damien, and third-place Claremont (which tied in the standings) received three first team all-league selections as did third-place Chino Hills.

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Ayala athletic director Warren Reed made one last plea with five proposals remaining at Monday’s Mt. SAC area releaguing meeting, only one of which included his school in the Baseline League. Apparently it fell on deaf ears.

Ayala and Chino Hills joined Etiwanda, Los Osos, Rancho Cucamonga and Upland in perhaps the closest thing we’ve seen to a super-league in the Inland Valley in the last 10 years. There is no doubt in my mind Ayala ended up in the absolute worst situation of any school in the Inland Valley, joining a league where the other five schools have an enrollment of at least 3,000 to Ayala’s 2,500. Those other five school’s however, will be fascinating to watch as Chino Hills brings strong football, basketball, baseball, softball and soccer programs.

Alta Loma was the big winner, moving to a Mt. Baldy League that is now weaker sans Chino, a two-time football league champion in the last three years. Bonita knew it was leaving the Hacienda League, but was thrilled to land in the Sierra as opposed to the Baseline, where two of the last five remaining proposals placed the Bearcats.

Here is a look at all the new leagues in the Mt. SAC area beginning in the fall of 2014:

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After finishing second in the state in both hurdling events last year, Rancho Cucamonga’s Jordie Munford has been nowhere to be found. Turns out she was nursing a hamstring injury suffered in late February, just weeks after signing with Oregon.

Munford finally made her 2013 debut over the weekend at the Mt. SAC Relays, finishing fourth in the 300 hurdles, an event in which she finished second in the state not only last year, but in 2010 as well.

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As it turned out, the Etiwanda and Santa Ana Mater Dei boys basketball teams each ended the season with a championship. Perhaps it’s only fitting that the teams’ star players share Southern California’s top individual award.

After leading the team to the school’s first CIF title in eight years, Etiwanda’s Jordan McLaughlin (right) was named the CIF-SS Division 1AA co-Player of the Year along with Mater Dei’s Stanley Johnson on Monday.

Etiwanda defeated Mater Dei in the CIF-SS championship game only to lose two weeks later in the CIF State tournament semifinals to a Mater Dei team on the way to its third straight state title. Etiwanda’s Dave Kleckner was granted sole possession of the CIF-SS Coach of the Year award after leading the No. 6 seed to the first championship since current NBA players Darren Collison and Jeff Pendergraph helped the Eagles to the 2005 CIF title.

Etiwanda boys wasn’t the only county program with top honors in its division, Division 5A girls champion Mesa Grande Academy got Coach of the year and co-Players of the Year in its division.

Turns out the actual CIF championship was just the beginning for the Ontario boys soccer team. The hardware keeps rolling in for the lone local team to win a title as Loyola Marymount-bound forward Adrien Perez was named the All-CIF Player of the Year in Division 4 and Vince Mangione Coach of the Year.

Carter, which went undefeated this season until losing the CIF-SS Division 6 championship game, landed three players on the all-CIF team. Alta Loma, Ontario Christian and Ontario all had a pair of players on the all-CIF team.

DIVISION 1
Player of the Year: Gage Zerboni, Sr. Forward – San Clemente
Coach of the Year: Mike Pronier – San Clemente